in the most heavily populated corridor in this country, affecting 50 million americans before it's all over. while all this has been going on, on the other coast, we have a huge story, of course, that we've been following. more on that in a moment. but first, what could be a 30-inch snow event here on the east coast. our team is out in it, and in place tonight, we want to begin with nbc's ron mott. he's in providence, rhode island. ron, good evening. >> reporter: hey, brian, good evening to you. long before the teeth of this storm fully clamps down on new england later tonight, its bite was being felt and the discomfort, well, it spread all over. a 19-vehicle pileup this morning in southern maine was among the earliest indications that today was going to be trouble. luckily, only minor injuries. >> what you see there, is a tractor-trailer on i-84 that has flipped on its side. >> traffic got topsy-turvey in connecticut, too. and signs of things getting worse before getting better were just about everywhere throughout the storm zone, as power trucks

await the calls of duty from as far away as ohio. >> i'm asking the general public to make decisions that are wise. >> reporter: officials again repeated warnings for people to stay home and out of the mounting mess. >> i guess mother nature is making up for last year. >> reporter: yielding to fleets of snowplows, making room for emergencies. in rhode island, a slow start for accumulations quickened by afternoon. massachusetts and connecticut governors each order roadways clear at 4:00, a ban on traffic. for those still needing to travel, rail service ground to a halt, triggering a midday evening rush at new york's penn station. airports, including laguardia, were at all but a standstill. >> i'm from minnesota. i know snow. but just don't want to be stuck here for a few days. >> reporter: the exodus turned hustle and bustle in providence and boston into what looked like movie sets, minus the action.

>> this is coming right off the ocean here. and this is what has emergency management officials so concerned. >> reporter: but along the coast, that's exactly what's expected later. a major storm surge taking heavy amounts of snow for a bumpy, wild, overnight ride. and ahead of what could be an extended hibernation for many this weekend, last-minute shopping runs, especially to fortify the fridge. >> we're getting enough supplies so we can make a hot pot of chicken soup for the weekend. >> reporter: two of the biggest sellers today, gasoline and liquor. one liquor store manager said they did five times the business of a normal friday, calling it almost christmas in february, brian. >> ron mott starting us off in providence, rhode island tonight. take care up there. we want to show you how big this looks from space. look at the tops of the clouds. this is not one but two storms joining together. not visible in that picture, our friend al roker. he's in boston in the thick of it.

but it's going to get much thicker as the night goes on. al, tell us about where it is and where we're headed. >> well, brian, this storm is about 200 miles away from boston, and we're getting the signs of it starting to intensify. we've been hearing reports of about thundersnow in long island and providence, rhode island and power lines and trees are snapping and going down and power outages being reported. we have winter storm warnings up now for interior sections of new york state, new jersey, pennsylvania, all the way into interior new england. but the areas in red from new york to eastport, maine, blizzard warnings in effect. very strong winds, very strong accumulations. here, take a look on the radar. you can see all that moisture coming in off the atlantic, the cold air streaming in from the north and where the two meet, that's where we're getting all these blizzard-like conditions that are really starting to develop across long island, connecticut, and now moving into

rhode island and massachusetts. snowfall accumulations generally about 6 inches to a foot in interior sections of new york. new york city, though, anywhere from a foot to a foot and a half. and then the areas in gray from interior connecticut, coastal massachusetts, into new england, we're talking about 2 to 2 1/2, maybe even 3 feet of snow. and as you can see, winds are starting to pick up, and that's going to be a big story too. we're talking about sustained winds tonight into tomorrow between 25 and 40-mile-an-hour winds with gusts approaching and sometimes exceeding hurricane-force conditions. we'll continue to update you tonight on the weather channel. a full report tomorrow morning on "wake up with al," starting at 5:00 a.m. and then the "today" show at 7:00. brian? >> al roker on a very snowy boston common. al, thanks. as we said, this storm has brought so much to a standstill. as they like to say in storms like this, if you're not already where you wanted to be, there's little use trying. that means roads, rails, especially the sky. the air space is pretty much shut down. rehema ellis is at new york laguardia.

she was ordered outside the airport when the inside was shut down late today. rehema, looks pretty quiet there. >> reporter: indeed, brian. this is how the storm is impacting travel. look here at one of the nation's busiest airports. new york's laguardia airport is virtually empty on a friday evening. the monitors inside the terminal tell the story. more than 1,800 cancellations at new york's area airports. connecticut's bradley international airport shut down earlier today. 4,700 flights were cancelled nationwide yesterday, today and tomorrow. good news for passengers. airlines waived the cancellation fees, hoping passengers would make other plans. overnight, 200 pieces of snow removal equipment will be used to clean the planes and runways, hoping to get operations back on track sometime sunday. and speaking of tracks, amtrak has shut down service between new york and boston earlier this afternoon with limited service tomorrow.

and as ron mott mentioned, a travel ban is in place in connecticut and massachusetts. and so no matter how you look at it, this storm is making it hard to get around. brian? >> rehema ellis at a very quiet laguardia airport tonight. thanks. we mentioned this earlier. as the "new york times" put it today, perhaps in any other year, this nor'easter would have been met with little more than a shrug around this region. but remember, this year, little more than 100 days after hurricane sandy decimated a huge part of this area, this storm is hitting the same people along the same coastline that have just been hit. so even hardened new yorkers are taking no chances this time, getting prepared early, in case the power goes out. some folks have been waiting over an hour to get gas. and we found some gas stations in new york and new jersey already out of fuel. weather channel meteorologist mike seidel is up in revere beach, just north -- well, going in and out, because

of the satellite signal. just north of the city of boston with more on this storm's early-edge arrival. hey, mike. >> hey, good evening, brian. the winds here on the north shore have already gusted over 50 miles per hour and before the storm pulls out tomorrow afternoon, gusts could top 70. the beaches and islands will take the biggest hit, with significant beach erosion, some extreme. also moderate to major coastal flooding. tomorrow's high tide is one of concern around 10:00 a.m., with 20-foot breakers on the beach and a 4 1/2 foot surge in some spots will likely cause structural damage and because of that some local police departments, including scituate have told residents to head for higher ground and evacuate. overnight, snowfall rates of 2 to 3 inches an hour and winds pushing hurricane-force, at least 6 feet. and brian, keep in mind, the worst of the wind and heaviest snow bands have yet to arrive. i'll be here all night, bringing you the pictures on the weather channel. back to you. >> easy there, mike.

we know you like the severe weather, but try to take care. that goes for your crew, as well. mike seidel, revere beach, mass tonight. while all of this has been going on, on the other coast, a massive drama continues. a manhunt goes on for a military veteran who is now targeting police officers and their family members. the focus tonight is in the snowy mountains outside l.a., but people are nervous, and supposed sightings of this suspect have caused alarm bells to go off all day. they've been reported as far south as the mexican border. nbc's miguel almaguer is with us from what is still a heavily fortified lapd headquarters. miguel, good evening. >> reporter: brian, good evening. with the search in day two, the mood here at lapd remains tense. helicopters have been in and around this region all day long. and today police focused their search some 115 miles away from here. more than 100 tactical officers

swarmed the mountains three hours outside of los angeles. blinded by 10 inches of snow and facing frigid cold, they found no one. earlier, s.w.a.t. teams cleared 400 cabins, one by one. a high-powered military-like response to hunt down accused cop killer, christopher dorner. >> this business is not always safe. our folks are highly trained, and this is what we train for. >> reporter: dorner's burnt-out truck was discovered here thursday. so were his footprints, say police. but his trail has gone cold. walter kunkle slept with an axe for protection. >> we had all the kids sleep with us last night. i couldn't sleep. the dogs barked all night. scary. >> reporter: near los angeles, police searched dorner's mother's home, but made no arrests. the former lapd officer is accused of murdering three. among the victims, a memorial for a 34-year-old riverside

police officer who can't be named because police fear dorner will go after his loved ones. >> this individual has a history of targeting the families, and so who knows? we don't want to take a risk he may target the family of an officer he's already killed or wounded. >> reporter: in dorner's chilly manifesto, he names officers and families he's targeting for revenge for being fired. he writes, "now you will live the life of prey." >> what spikes this case is the fact that he has named specific individuals. so you could be mad at god, mad at life, mad at your employer. but when you start to name specific people, that is when we get extremely concerned. >> reporter: with police on tactical alert, everyone is jumpy. along the mexico border, a two-hour traffic jam as officers search for dorner. outside a san diego gym, a case of mistaken identity when police question a man who matched the suspect's description. today, the l.a. county jail were dorner's ex-wife works, went

into lockdown after a false sighting. >> i'm fearful. i don't really want to be here right now. >> reporter: tonight in cities and in the mountains, there's fear. police say it's not if, but when will the cop killer strike again. and while this massive man hunt pushes on, the lapd says six officers are on paid administrative leave after they opened fire on a vehicle that matched the suspect's description thursday. the suspect was not inside the vehicle, but instead one 71-year-old woman and her daughter were shot multiple times by police as they tried to deliver newspapers. tonight, brian, they have hired an attorney. >> incredible story unfolding in southern california. miguel almaguer in l.a., thanks. still ahead, the outrage of over $1 billion in tax money wasted. is it any way to run our

government. and a sad invasion of privacy for two former u.s. presidents, their family, friends. their secret service investigation under way.

back now with our series, the fleecing of america. waste, fraud and abuse of tax dollars. tonight we're prepared to air a report about a staggering waste of money in washington. just as we're being told of the potential cuts on the way because there's not enough money. tonight, how it is $1 billion was allowed to be spent on a huge military project with virtually nothing to show for it. our report from our senior investigative correspondent, lisa myers. >> reporter: it was supposed to be the air force's revolutionary new computer system, to track everything from planes to spare parts to bombs to winter refueling tanker. in need of maintenance. the expeditionary combat support system. the idea was to save billions of dollars by combining 240 existing computer systems, some

from the '70s, into a single system, for buying and managing everything. instead, after seven years and $1 billion, the air force has pulled the plug, stating the program has not yielded any significant military capability. senator john mccain wrote the pentagon, calling it one of the most egregious examples of mismanagement in recent memory. >> $1 billion has been basically totally wasted, with nothing to show for it. >> reporter: just flushed down the drain. >> flushed down the drain. >> reporter: you know, a lot of americans remember that infamous $600 toilet set. is this even worse than that? >> i don't mean to make a joke, but at least they got a toilet seat. out of this, they got nothing. we got nothing. >> reporter: so what went wrong? >> you had a company that wasn't up to the task of managing the project. you had a computer system that wasn't actually able to do the job. and you had an air force that was asleep at the switch.

>> reporter: a top executive for the lead contractor, computer science's corporation or csc, told nbc news that it provided the air force with capabilities and assets to deliver the system of the future, and that taxpayers got their money's worth. an air force official sees it differently. >> i'm personally appalled at the limited capabilities that program has produced. >> reporter: senior air force officials say the computer company was unable to deliver what it promised. but admit that the air force too was to blame, and didn't have the level of expertise to manage such a huge complex project. should people be fired over this? >> sure. sure they should be. will they be? no. >> reporter: in fact, csc says it has four other contracts with the air force. and a report found that other similar computer programs throughout the pentagon are $8 billion over budget and as much as 13 years behind. lisa myers, nbc news, washington.

we're back in a moment with a high-profile politician in deep legal trouble who just cut a deal. there's this island -- and it's got super-cute kangaroos.

barrow island has got rare kangaroos. ♪ chevron has been developing energy here for decades. we need to protect their environment. we have a strict quarantine system to protect the integrity of the environment.

forty years on, it's still a class-a nature reserve. it's our job to look after them. ...it's my job to look after it. ♪ some good news tonight about the nasty flu season we've been enduring in this country. cdc says flu activity is down. we have probably, probably seen the worst of the season. flu activity was listed as widespread this week. 38 states at least down from 42 states last week. news remains bad for the elderly, however, with more than 50% of hospitalizations in patients over 65. we got word today jesse jackson jr. has signed a plea agreement with federal prosecutors and has admitted to campaign finance violations. he resigned his house seat he's held for the past 17 years back in november. he acknowledged using campaign contributions to buy personal items, including a rolex watch and furniture. his sentence will be decided by

a federal judge and could include still prison time. the bush family, including both former presidents and some of their children and friends, have fallen victim to an anonymous computer hacker who has infiltrated and exposed family e-mails, private photos. the material initially released on the web included private information, phone numbers, security codes, a photo of bush 41 in the hospital recently, and photos of artworks painted by bush 43. the secret service is now investigating. the legendary jazz musician, donald byrd has died. the detroit native played with coal train, lots of r & b, a lot of progressive music sampled many times in recent years. donald byrd was 80 years old. a still photo of a little girl is getting a lot of attention on the web, deservedly so. her name is daniella, she is 3 years old, she saluted during the anthem at ft. drummond, new york, as her dad left for

afghanistan on a nine-month deployment. and attention parents, you don't see this every day. a very nice family from washington state went to pay their check at a restaurant and noticed a discount. look at them there. for well-behaved kids. right there on the receipt, as we all know, pulling that off in a fancy italian place with three young kids deserves a medal, if not a discount on the check. we are back in a moment with a final check on our top story. this big, bad blizzard in the east coast getting worse by the minute.

we are back. and let's get you updated on the progress of this snowstorm in the east. a genuine blizzard on the way. jim cantore is in boston. jim, i've got to say, we had mike seidel on earlier. i took one look at their live camera picture, made a false assumption they were on the southern cape. they were to the north of boston, revere beach, where just off the coast the winds have picked up, upwards of 50 knots. >> yeah, it's only going to get worse, brian. we're going to get some of that wind back here in boston, that's where we'll deal with the full teeth of this storm. probably right around midnight

through about, 5:00, 6:00 in the morning. it will be accompanied by thunder and lightning. and right now the national grid estimates we will probably lose about 100,000 customers with power. and remember, brian, we're going to have to get the snow out of the way before we can get in and repair the power poles and the lines. so it's a two-fold problem here. let's show what's going on with the radar and i'll show you this purple area, if you will, on the radar. this is where the heaviest snow is coming down across long island, across southern connecticut, rhode island, into massachusetts. all of this is building north. we will be in this all night long. and that means the snow totals are going to really add up in through here. the back edge of the storm, just starting to show up there across eastern pennsylvania. but it will take a long time before it gets into eastern massachusetts. now, just as soon as we get rid of this storm in the northeast, we will focus quickly on another blizzard across the high plains. this one, though, will also have a severe weather threat down to the south. there will be severe thunderstorms from oklahoma city down to dallas. both on saturday and sunday, they will shift east toward the

mississippi valley, as will the blizzard conditions for the high plains. so no rest for the weary here as we go from one big storm right to another. the only difference is geographically where it will happen. brian, back to you. >> jim cantore in boston, part of our team from the weather channel that will be out in it all night long. that is for us our broadcast on a friday night and for this week. thank you for being here with us. i'm brian williams. lester holt will be here with you this weekend. we, of course, hope to see you right back here on monday night. we'll have more on the storm when we come back on the air with an all-new "rock center" in our new time slot tonight at 10:00, 9:00 central. in the meantime, have a good night. have a good weekend. good night. good evening on this friday night. i'm jessica aguirre. >> and i'm raj mathai. tonight a san jose man is behind

bars for plotting to blow up a bay area bank. he claimed he would, quote, dance with joy when the bomb exploded. it was a terror plot he planned with a member of the taliban. we have team coverage tonight. investigative reporter tony kovaleski has exclusive details about the suspect. we start with nbc bay area's arturo santiago with the details of this foiled plot. arturo? >> reporter: well, roj, the man was thought to be with the taliban, actually turned out to be an undercover fbi agent. he was so convinced he even developed a plan with the agent to train taliban fighters. but first, he wanted to blow up a bank. no one answered the door at the family home in san jose today, but neighbors say they heard about the man the fbi said was living here. >> it was shocking. >> to say the least. no, i don't have any information about those people.

i've never met them before. i don't even know their names. >> reporter: in an affidavit, the fbi says during an undercover agent's initial meeting the suspect proposed car bombing the federal reserve bank in san francisco. they also say that the goal was to, quote, trigger a governme governmental crackdown which he suspected would trigger a right-wing counter response against the government followed by, he hoped, civil war. in the days and weeks that followed as he and the undercover agent built the car bomb in a storage unit in hayworth, the plan was changed to target the bank of america branch in oakland. according to the affidavit, he said he would, quote, dance with joy when the bomb exploded. it never did. early this morning he allegedly parked the car bomb at the bank, then tried to detonate it. it never went off and he was arrested. officials say the bomb never pose posed a risk. our legal expert expects the prosecution's case will need to be very detailed. >> all of the k